Summary of Today's BroadcastRFE/RL Persian ServiceFriday, October 25, 2002
- Water flows from Afghanistan to Iran
- Khatami's Spain trip
- Election law reform bill
- US-Iran Relations in British press
Afghan Water Flows to Iran, "Temporarily"
* Water from Afghanistan's Nimruz province has begun to flow to Iran through the dry Hirmand (Helmand)River-but only temporarily, says Afghan foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah. He tells RFE/RL that the water in the river is below the level specified in the Iran-Afghanistan 1972 water sharing agreement. But London-based water distribution expert Bijan Golshaian tells RFE/RL that the 1972 agreement does not permit Afghanistan to reduce the water flow in case of shortage of water in the river. He says Afghanistan has built water installations to block the flow of water, in violation of the agreement. Berlin-based Afghanistan expert Changiz Pahlavan tells RFE/RL that the 1972 accord eliminated many of the disputes over the river, and any new agreement must take shape as an addendum to that accord. (Shahran Tabari, London)
Khatami to Arrive in Spain on Monday
* Foreign minister Kamal Kharrazi and finance minister Tahmasb Mazaheri will accompany President Khatami on his visit to Spain, due to start on Monday. The official announcement of the visit came after Tehran and Madrid resolved their dispute over the serving of wine in official functions. The cancellation of several official ceremonies in which wine were to be served angered Spanish officials. (Ahmad Ra'fat, Rome)
Majles Begins Discussions on Election Law Reform Bill
* Tehran University political science professor and pro-reform commentator Sadeq Zibakalam tells RFE/RL that President Khatami's election law reform bill seeks to prevent arbitrary rejection by the Guardians Council of applicants for candidacy in the Majles elections based on their religious belief or their commitment to the regime. He predicts that after being approved in the Majles by a strong majority, the bill will be rejected by Guardians Council and would be sent to the Expediency Council for final review. (Fereydoun Zarnegar)
Review of British Press on US-Iran Relations
* The Financial Times wrote that Iran would respond positively should the US seek to improve ties. Guardian wrote that Tehran does not agree with the presence of US forces in Iraq. (Fariba Mavedat, London)
Italy's Deputy Foreign Minister Returns from Iran
* Margarita Boniver, Italy's deputy foreign minister for Central Asia and Human Rights, returned from her two-day visit to Iran. She said despite differences on human rights, Iran and Italy share views on the reconstrction of Afghanistan, anti-drug and anti-terrorism campaigns. (Ahmad Ra'fat, Rome)
Bill on Children's Trial to Separate Kids and Adults in Prisons
* Morteza Bakhtiari, head of the prisons organization, says that a bill is being developed in the Judiciary that would separate prisoners under 18 from adults. Tehran-based lawyer Mohammad Hossein Aghasi tells RFE/RL that convicts under 18 presently share the same jail spaces with grownups, since Islamic code considers girls above 9 and boys above 14 as adults. (Shireen Famili)
Spread of Depression among Young Iranians
* Dr. Mohammad-Taqi Yasami, head of the mental health department of the healthcare ministry, said the 20 percent of Iranians are afflicted with psychological illnesses, but the per capita budget allocated to psychiatric medicine is less than 13 rials (nearly one cent) per person. Tehran University psychiatry professor Dr. Shirin Oliyai-Zand tells RFE/RL that depression is the most common psychological disorder in Iran, especially among the youth. (Golnaz Esfandiari)
Gasoline Consumption Rises
* Tehran-based economist Ali Rashidi tells RFE/RL that domestic consumption of gasoline has been growing by 8 percent per year due to the 300,000 per year rise in the number of mostly domestically produced, gas guzzling cars on the roads. Because Iran's oil production has fallen during the past 20 years from 6 million barrels per day to below 4 million, the country is now importing $1 billion worth of gasoline from Persian Gulf Arab countries. (Fereydoun Zarnegar)
Mehrangiz Kar Wins France's Bar Association Human Rights Award
* More than 300 prominent French lawmakers, justice ministry officials and lawyers attended the ceremony during which the head of France's supreme court awarded that country's highest human rights award to lawyer and human rights advocate Mehrangiz Kar. She tells RFE/RL that the award is for all lawyers in Iran who struggle for democracy and respect for human rights under difficult conditions. (Jean Khakzad, Paris)
Civil Society and Human Rights: Freedom of Expression
* In her today's talk on RFE/RL, Mehrangiz Kar discusses the suppression of freedom of expression in Iran and lack of security after expression.
RFE/RL Roundtable: Moral Crisis
* Qom-based Shiite clergy Ahmad Qabel, Tehran University sociology professor Ahmad Naqibzadeh and Paris-based sociologist Azadeh Kian discuss the disintegration of moral and ethical norms in Iran. (Mehdi Khalaji)
ARTS AND IDEAS
Daily Internet Report
* A wealth of Persian articles about philosophical issues can be accessed through www.falsafeh.com, based in Germany. (Behnam Nateghi, New York)
Daily medical advice (Dr. Mansur Moslehi, Los Angeles)
Daily Book Review
* RFE/RL's Tehran-based book critic Kamran Fani reviews "Political and Social History of Iran from Timur to Shah Abbas," written by Abolqasem Taheri.
Daily Science Reprot
* Duke University researches found the mechanism used by microbes for entering brain cells. (Fatemeh Aman, Washington)
Song: Robabeh Jan
* RFE/RL's Frankfurt-based music critic Mahmud Khoshnam plays Robabeh Jan, performed by Parisa Badiee.
Joy (Shadi)
* Los Angeles DJ Afshin Gorgin spins the latest Persian pop tunes.
Middle East Magazine
* An interview with the head of Egypt's archaeological monuments organization, a report on Egypt's brain drain, Bahraini women's demonstration against polygamy, discovery of a tomb thought to belong to Jesus' brother and selections are the topics of today's Middle East Magazine. (Farideh Rahbar and Jamshid Chalangi, Cairo)
WORLD
* Chechens take 700 hostage in Moscow. (Mani Kasravi, Moscow)
* Maryland police arrests Washington area sniper. (Homayoun Majd, Washington)
* Britain arrests an al-Qaeda member. (Shahran Tabari, London)
* Amal Ebrahim, a woman candidate in Bahrain elections tells RFE/RL that for the first time women were allowed to participate in the elections, which is more more important than the results of today's elections, due to be announced tomorrow. (Jamshid Chalangi, Cairo)
* Libya resigns from the Arab League. (Farideh Rahbar, Cairo)
* Israeli's begin house-to-house search in Jenin for 20 suicide bombing organizers. (Jamshid Chalangi, Cairo)
* Opium cultivation expands in the post-Taliban Afghanistan. (Ahmad Ra'fat, Rome)
* The former president of the court council of the Hague war crimes tribunal
Antonio Caseze tells RFE/RL that establishment a world court for trying international terrorists will give victims of terrorism their due rights. (Ahmad Ra'fat, Rome)